Image Used with Permission via Family Christian Bloggers
*Without Rival by Lisa Bevere was sent to me by Family Christian in exchange for my honest review.
The first words I read are important for any child of God to know:
Dearest one,
You are loved by a Father without rival, entrusted with a message
and a promise beyond compare, in a time without precedent. You have
been chosen for this moment that is at once great and terrible. For
this very reason, you must love fearlessly . . . believe outrageously . .
. and hope without measure. – Lisa Bevere
Without Rival by Lisa Bevere
Lisa’s first chapter in Without Rival is dedicated to encouraging women
to realize who we are, that we are uniquely loved by a Father who has no
rival. From there, she takes us on the journey of learning who God
is. We are who we are because of who God is . . . because of who Jesus
is.
She goes on to encourage women not to compare themselves with others.
Women have an identity without rival because they are daughters of a King without rival.
Throughout this book, Lisa’s hope is that women will realize their worth
and their calling from God and that they will be empowered by the Holy
Spirit to accomplish His purpose for their lives.
I have to say that I disagree with Lisa’s theology in chapter 6. I
agree with her belief that God does call women out for specific purposes
and ministries but the scriptures do not support women preaching in
churches, especially where they would have any authority over a man.
Lisa avoids 1 Timothy 2 when she presents her case in chapter 6.
I understand the vision and purpose of Without Rival and I believe God
has blessed Lisa’s ministry and I believe He will continue to do so. I
believe God calls women into appropriate ministries and He gives them
all the tools they need to do what He has called them to do, but
according to scripture, He would not call a woman to preach in a church
where she would have any authority over men.
A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet. – 1 Timothy
Having given my honest opinion about the matter, Lisa offers women so
much encouragement throughout Without Rival. I could tell that she
poured her heart out in the pages of this book, hoping and praying that
women will realize their worth in Jesus and that they can minister in
confidence – that they can live their lives “without rival” in His
name.
Last week, our study through Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed led us to
crossroads. Crossroads are places in our lives where we must make
decisions. We must choose to follow the path where God leads us or a
path leading to sin and the consequences of that sin. This week, we are
reminded of God’s gracious redemption. The is the “redeemed” part of
our 6 week study.
Most of our study is from 2 Samuel 24, 1 Chronicles 22, and 1 Chronicles 28 – 29.
During this study, we dug more deeply into the Davidic Covenant. I
never realized until this study how beautiful this passage is. David
was quiet a character. He was a man after God’s own heart. He loved
God and God loved David, but David’s life was laced with scandal,
adultery, and even murder. David was a man of war and bloodshed.
David’s life goal was to build a temple, a house for God’s Ark of the
Covenant. It was his heart’s desire, but God would not allow David to
build the house because he was a man of war and had shed too much
blood. Still, God promised David that he would eventually have a son
and his son would build the house.
Even after God’s promise to David, David still sinned against God and he
sinned big! God is a just God. He punished David for his sins, but He
did not remove his promise to David.
Eventually, after an adulterous relationship, betrayal, and suffering
through punishments including the loss of a baby son, David’s son
Solomon was born to him. God honored his promise to David and chose
David’s son Solomon to build the temple.
However, God’s plan for David was not over. David had made mistakes and
he had suffered his consequences. He was now an old man. He had not
been allowed to build the temple. God was not finished with David.
God allowed David to take part in the temple’s construction by allowing
him to gather all the materials Solomon would need to build the house
for God’s name. David was allowed to make preparations for the temple.
David took great joy in his gracious redemption.
We too can take great joy in God’s gracious redemption.
No matter what you’ve done, you will be able to go deeper still. If
you are alive, there is a future; there is hope because there is God,” –
Kay Arthur
That my friends, wraps up the full 6 week study of Anointed,
Transformed, Redeemed. You are anointed for a purpose. God will
transform your life to accomplish his plan and purpose through you.
Even if we think we’ve messed all that up, God is the God of gracious
redemption.
You'll find all my posts about the Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed Bible Study here.
During the 5th week of our Bible study through Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed with Priscilla Shirer, Beth Moore, and Kay Arthur, we discussed
crossroads. Crossroads are places in our lives where we must stop and
make a decision. Often, these decisions require us to decide on a path
to follow, a path to follow God’s lead or a path down a road to
destruction. If we choose a path of disobedience, leading to sin, the
consequences are great.
In session 5, Kay Arthur outlines several truths about sin. She reminds us that sin is:
knowing the right thing to do, but choosing not to do it.
lawlessness.
unrighteousness.
something not of faith.
One of my favorite quotes from this session is this.
Sin will take you further than you ever wanted to go and it will cost you more than you expected to pay.” – Kay Arthur
David found himself stopped at several crossroads. Even though he was a
“man after God’s own heart,” he made plenty of mistakes. He chose the
wrong path on multiple occasions, but David loved God and God loved
David.
Choosing the wrong path leads to sin and God is a just God. David
suffered the consequences of his sins. God never abandoned David but
David wasn’t immune to the consequences of his decisions.
Even though David messed up and messed up big and endured his punishment from God, still God honored his promises to David.
It is never too late for anyone, regardless of one’s past, to stand at a crossroads and choose God.
If you are not dead, no matter what you have done, God is not finished with you.” – Kay Arthur
We only have one more week left in Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed. I
cannot describe to you in written words how much I have loved these last
two studies: A Woman’s Heart, God’s Dwelling Place by Beth Moore and this one. Up next, in a couple of weeks is Discerning the Voice of God by Priscilla Shirer.
You'll find all my posts about the Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed Bible Study here.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers
book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive
review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
Oh my. Where do I begin with this one? There is so much drama going on
in the pages of this book. The emotional turmoil in the lives of the
characters keeps you on the edge of your seat. The real-life situations
that plague all of us from time to time arise as ugly in this book as
they do in real life. Readers are bound to relate closely to the
characters and their circumstances.
Abigail Schrock has been betrayed. Within a matter of minutes, she went
from her highest mountain top where her hopes and dreams were about to
come true to plundering into her deepest valley. Abigail knows God
loves her but can he heal her broken heart?
To make matters worse, Abigail’s two sisters have found love. One is
married and the other is planning a wedding. Abigail is alone. Or is
she?
Abigail’s self esteem suffers a tremendous blow for the same reasons
many of us suffer the same. I doubt there are many women who at some
time or another would not relate to Abigail’s physical and emotional
state.
Abigail has one suitor, but she is determined to push him away. She has
suffered too much already and she refuses to be hurt again.
Will Abigail experience a love made new?
Abigail is the main character in A Love Made New but she isn’t
the only one you’ll get attached to. This book is filled with dynamic
characters who will capture your heart and your attention.
There are several things I loved aboutA Love Made New. I
loved that multiple stories occurring simultaneously gave me the
emotional breaks I needed to keep me coming back for more. I couldn’t
wait to finish one chapter or section of one story so that I could get
back to another, like a very complicated but intriguing movie. I was
thankful that some of the main characters were portrayed just as
imperfect as I am. As I read through their stories and their struggles
to deal with forgiveness and the acceptance of grace, I realized my own
need to forgive and to accept the grace my God has offered me. The
elements of the most interesting stories – mystery, crime, betrayal,
suspense, love – are all there. Out of all the ugliness that sin brings
upon family and friends, you’ll find strong families who love
unconditionally. You’ll find devoted friendships. You’ll find a
consistent theme throughout the book, an emphasis on God’s perfect
timing. You’ll find the agony of betrayal and a love lost but then the
revelation of God’s plan and purpose with a love made new.
I had just dropped our older children off at school. At the time, I
worked as a part time preschool teacher and that Tuesday happened to be
my day off. I was relieved to be off that day because I was so very
tired. I remember pulling through the elementary school car pool line
earlier that morning and feeling as though I shouldn’t even be driving. I
could hardly keep my eyes open. My son and daughter exited the car and
entered the school building to start their day. I drove home anxious to
get some much needed rest. I remember pulling my youngest daughter out
of her car-seat and carrying her into the house. My husband was off that
day so I sat my daughter on the floor with a few toys to keep her
occupied near my husband who sat in a chair watching The Today Show.
While my husband watched the Today Show and my daughter played quietly
on the floor, I settled into a comfortable position on the sofa and
half listened to the show and half dozed. I seemed to be trapped in that
state of mind just before dropping into “sleepy land”. I was resting,
but half aware of what was going on around me. I remember the quiet
noises of my daughter playing. Her little noises were making their way
into my dreams. Then, I remember hearing the news.
I still remember the words “breaking news”. I remember half hearing
something about a plane crashing into the World Trade Center. I remember
thinking, “How awful. That’s terrible,” then drifting off into my half
asleep/half awake state again. A few minutes later, I began to become
aware of more news. Did I hear that correctly. Another plane? At that
point, I sat up to tune in while my husband simultaneously said, “Honey,
you might need to wake up and pay attention to this. Something isn’t
right.” I agreed.
Suddenly, I no longer felt tired. I wasn’t sure how I felt – nervous,
insecure, unsure of what was happening, afraid – all of those things at
once. I continued to watch as the first pictures came onto the
television screen. I watched the replays of the planes hitting the
towers. Immediately, I said to my husband, “That was no accident. That
plane veered into the building as if it was on purpose.” He agreed.
As we continued to watch the footage, more
news came in. Another plane had crashed into the Pentagon. At that
point, we knew. There in that moment, our since of security faded
quickly into the blackness of the tragedy we were witnessing. At the time,
we didn’t know who was responsible, but we were sure of one thing. We
were under attack. I looked down. My three year old daughter sat there
playing at my feet. Could we protect her? Would this happen again? It
did. As the morning reports continued to flood the media, another plane
had crashed into a Pennsylvania field. We wondered where the next plane
would hit or if it would be a plane at all – perhaps a bomb? At that
moment, who knew? My husband, an ex-Marine, decided that one of us
should go get our other two children. We didn’t know what else might
happen that day. How long would this go on? What building would be next?
What city? Atlanta? Everything was uncertain.
The only thing we knew for certain was that our family should be
together that day. Our school aged children were in the first and third
grades. We wanted them with us. We wanted to protect them through
whatever would come of September 11, 2001. I left to go get our two
older children. As the day went on, time seemed to stand still. Would my
husband be called back into active service? What would I do with three
children all under the age of 7? How would we make it with a military
and a preschool teacher’s salary? What would happen to us? What would
happen to our country? Suddenly our every day tasks seemed unimportant.
It didn’t matter that laundry needed to be done. It didn’t matter that
dishes needed to be loaded into the dishwasher or that beds needed to be
made. What mattered was that our children were home with us – safe.
What mattered was the thousands of people who were dying – their
families. All that mattered was what might happen next and how we would
protect our family.
What mattered was faith – faith in our omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent God.
I REMEMBER THE CHANGE
I remember the look on President George W. Bush’s face that day. He
received the news as he sat in a classroom filled with children. I
remember Congress that day. I remember how united our Senators and
Representatives were, standing on the steps of the Capitol Building as
they sang – united. There were no party lines on the Capitol Building
steps that day, only Americans. I remember the country adorned with
American Flags. Flags flew from almost every home – from porch posts,
from windows, from trees, from mailboxes, from apartment buildings, from
car door windows, from everywhere a flag could fly. Flags were raised
higher, flew and waved more proudly, and Americans everywhere pledged
their allegiance. I remember the slogan, “They wanted change,
they got it.” Terrorist set out to destroy a nation that day. What they
got was a nation united. The “sleeping giant” had been awakened once
again.
I WILL REMEMBER
Years later, I still remember. How could one forget? I remember the
burning towers. I remember watching one tower fall, then the other. I
remember seeing the caved in section of the Pentagon. I remember seeing
the scattered remains of the plane that crashed into that Pennsylvania
field. I remember the signs people carried, hoping to locate a loved
one. I remember the memorials covered with photographs and candles. I
remember waiting for reports of survivors as hospitals stocked with
supplies and extra doctors, nurses, and volunteers waited to treat
thousands. I remember the phone call from my
mother. She had asked me to remember a co-worker in my prayers. Her
sister worked in the Pentagon. Her sister was never found. I remember
the rescue workers – the policemen, the firefighters, and the countless
numbers of citizens who risked their lives to save others. I remember
the ash. I remember the people on the streets of New York City – covered
in blood and ashes. I remember the crying and screaming – the
immeasurable grief. I remember watching with shock as I saw people
jumping to their death from the windows of the World Trade Center. I
remember hearing the reports of the phone calls that were made. I
remember the interviews of grieving families as they described their
last conversations with their loved ones – loved ones who knew they
would not be returning home that day; the phone calls made from the
burning buildings and a plane that would never land safely. I’m sure
that even after all these years, we have not heard every story.
I will remember.
I will never forget.
Do you remember where you were when the world stopped turning on that September day?
I only have one full time preschooler in
my home daycare/preschool this year. The other children are infants
and younger toddlers. I have one other preschooler who only comes as
needed so this little sweetie is feeling a little lonely. I don’t have a
lot of one-on-one time with her. Plus, her little brother recently broke his arm
so I think she’s been hoping for a little extra attention. I decided
an All About Me booklet would be a great way for us to focus on her and
all the things she loves. When I told her we were going to make a book
all about her, she was so excited. I put the other children down for a nap but I let her stay up a little while so we could work on her book together, just the two of us.
Image Credit: Abundant Family Living
I asked her about the things she would like to include in her book. Then, I print out her booklet pages.
All About Me Booklet for Preschoolers
Image Credit: Abundant Family Living
We ended up with ten pages in all. They are super simple pages. There
is nothing special about them, but if you would like to complete this activity with your child and you don’t want to take the time to create
pre-printed pages or hand-write them, then you can print them out for
free at the end of this post.
Your child can draw and color
his favorite things on each page if he wishes. We decided to cut out
magazine pictures. When we couldn’t find the magazine pictures we
needed, we chose public domain images from Pixabay to use in our All
About Me booklet. My little one glued the pictures into her booklet.
Image Credit: Abundant Family Living.com
Making this little booklet together created the opportunity I needed to
focus solely on this sweet little girl. It only took a short amount of
time to complete yet it made her feel important.
If you would like to download the pages for use with your little sweetheart, click the link below.
Last week, in our Wednesday night ladies Bible study, Beth Moore led us
through “moving past our devastation.” This week, she encouraged us to
“move on with brave obedience.” In our first lesson, we learned what
happens to us when we stay behind our devastation too long. When we
can’t seem to move past it, we can become bitter.
Obedience: Moving Past Devastation and into Obedience
See to it that no one comes short of the grace of God, that no root of
bitterness springing up causes trouble, and by it many be defiled. –
Hebrews 12:15
We had to come to the realization that God allows good things and bad things to happen to both good and “not-so-good” people.
He causes the sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. – Matthew 5:45b
We learned that if we allow our disappointment to remain “untreated,” we
can fall into a state of disobedience. To move forward out of our
devastation, we must be obedient to God.
David was devastated at the death of Uzzah, so much that he could not
continue to move the ark on into Israel. Instead, the ark remained in
the house of Obed-edum for three months. During that time, God blessed
the house of Obed-edum and David moved past his devastation and into
obedience before God.
On our second day, we addressed the fact that God’s punishment for Uzzah
seems harsh. God is not harsh. He is just. He is holy. He had
previously given specific directions for carrying the Ark of the
Covenant. His detailed, specific directions were not followed as He had
commanded, resulting in Uzzah’s death. God is holy. You and I now
live in an “age of grace.” We don’t have to paint our doorposts with
blood or sacrifice animals to make atonement for our sins. We do
worship the same God. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever. He
never changes, nor do his commandments. He still expects obedience,
but Jesus was our sacrifice. He is our Passover. He is now our high
priest. He is our spiritual rock and our manna from Heaven.
In moving past our devastation and into obedience, God’s plan for a “new day” in our lives becomes more visible to us.
Every time God has a new day of sorts dawning in my life, He also
demands a new reverence from me. Every time He has a new place to take
me, He has something new about His holiness He seems to want to show
me. God seems to say, “This revelation involves a responsibility that
can only come with reverence.” – Beth Moore
In our third lesson for the week, Beth teaches us about the importance
of cooperating with God so that He can take us so far from where we have
been that we can respond like David did, “Who am I, Oh sovereign Lord,
and who is my family that you have brought me this far? – 2 Samuel 7:18
After David moved past his devastation and into a state of obedience, he
acknowledged God’s blessings on him and he danced. David moved from
devastation to dancing.
One of my favorite quotes from this session is this one:
When the love of God calls forth a love for God in a heart of brokenness,
it spills forth in a way no happy heart can gush. I can remember the
exact moment I realized I was going to survive a season of loss and
grave defeat. With the pain still present in my heart but strumming now
in clear, acoustical praise, I felt oddly more alive than I’d ever been
in my life. The scars on my battered soul no longer appeared to me as
random slashes but suddenly transfigured into engravings of unexpected
praise and thanksgiving.” – Beth Moore.
In the last session of this study here in week four with Beth Moore, she recounts two main points and then offers the third.
We’ve got to get past our devastation.
We’ve got to return to obedience.
We’ve got to be courageous enough to receive God’s blessings.
God desires to bless you!
You'll find all my posts about the Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed Bible Study here.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookLook Bloggers
book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive
review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this
in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
After receiving An Amish Harvest from BookLook, I wasn’t sure I would be
able to finish the book in the time allowed. It’s a pretty big book!
It is a collection of four separate novels from four separate authors.
The novellas included in An Amish Harvest are:
Realizing I needed to get started, I opened the book up to the
prologue. Sometimes it takes me a few chapters to really get into the
book. This time, I was completely captivated by the first page of the
prologue from Under the Harvest Moon. I love Amish romance books and
this one did not disappoint. Naomi, the main character, has suffered
physically and emotionally in her short lifetime. At the age of 27 and
the mother of 2 young girls, she becomes a widow. It’s harvest time and
Naomi is without a husband. She is also pregnant so her father hires
his friend, Brock, to bring in the harvest. Naomi’s father pays Brock
for his work but insists that Naomi feed Brock three good meals per
day. Those meals become the foundation for relationship building
between Naomi and Brock. The relationship eventually reaches beyond the
kitchen table and Brock becomes a regular part of Naomi’s family. He’s
not Amish and he is much older than Naomi but he is young at heart and
Naomi is mature beyond her years. Will Naomi fall in love again? Is
she even capable of trusting a man again after enduring an abusive
relationship before her husband’s sudden death? Would Naomi leave her
community and her faith to marry and Englishman? Could Brock give up
his English ways and become Amish?
Under the Harvest Moon is a sweet story of faith over fear and love after loss. It is a must read.
*Note: You can read the first chapter of all Beth Wiseman’s books at www.bethwiseman.com.
Janie is sitting at a picnic table eating her lunch alone when she
witnesses an accident. A driver slams into an Amish buggy, injuring
passengers and Jonathan, the buggy driver. Jonathan is shaken up so he
can’t remember if he signaled his turn or not. Janie saw that he did.
Still, the driver of the car insists that Jonathan didn’t signal.
Jonathan is blamed for the accident. Not only did Janie witness the
signal. She witnessed something else. She might be the only one who
knows. Should she obey her father and let the English handle the
accident without her involvement or should she tell everyone what she
knows?
Janie and Jonathan have lunch together every day after the accident.
They enjoy each other’s company but Jonathan is 10 years older than
Janie. Would Janie’s father approve? Even so, how would the
relationship work out since Jonathan plans to go back to Maryland after
the Amish harvest?
A dramatic incident at the end of the story changes hearts in a huge
way. This story captured my attention from the very beginning. You
won’t want to miss those last few pages!
Dinah’s mother pushes her to spend two weeks visiting with her aunt.
Dinah doesn’t want to go. Would she be accepted? Would her aunt’s
family make fun of her stuttering? She would much rather stay home with
her pets. She is just fine spending time alone enjoying poetry in her
room. When Dinah arrives at her aunt’s home, there isn’t much time for a
traditional welcome. She arrives just in time to help her aunt’s
family deal with an unexpected accident. Her only comfort is found in
her aunt’s step-son, Amos. Amos is warm, friendly, and thoughtful.
He’s different . . . special. Dinah helps Amos around the farm during
her visit. She grows closer and closer to Amos. Learning that Amos is
likely Autistic doesn’t stop Dinah from spending time with him and
learning about his special gifts. Can a young woman who stutters and a
young man with Autism find love? Will their families approve?
A Quiet Love is a sweet story about unconditional love.
Martha is 40 years old and a new widow. Her husband died suddenly and
Martha is left to decide what to do. Her aunt offers to let her come
live with her, but she must follow rules. She must go to church, help
around the house, and plant a garden. Martha decides to go live with
her aunt and work in an auction house. One day, Martha notices two
suspicious bidders and alerts her boss, Eli. They are strangers and
they were overbidding – way overbidding. Martha grew more suspicious.
What are they up to?
It turns out that the pieces of furniture for which they paid too much
have pieces of maps etched onto the bottoms. There are 7 pieces in
all. Why are they so important to the buyers? Where do the maps lead?
What do they lead to? Will Martha and Eli’s search for answers lead
them to another kind of treasure . . . love?
An Amish Harvest has pleasantly served to deepen my love for Amish
stories. As I read the stories, I felt like I was there in Lancaster,
Pennsylvania – in Ohio – in Indiana – riding in buggies beside freshly
harvested fields, eating Amish meals, and loving the Amish people. If
you love Christian books, romance, and mystery as much as I do, then you
will want to read the four stories compiled in this book.
Oh! There are several pages of Amish recipes in the back of the book. :)
